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ad hoc restaurant – for temporary relief from hunger – Yountville, CA

It’s not even April and I’ve already had the most amazing dining experience for the year. Seriously, I don’t see how the rest of the year can compare to my recent surprise brunch at Thomas Keller’s newest dining diggs in Yountville – ad hoc. Not only was it my very first experience in the Napa Valley, but it was my first stop! This place is super casual and such a friendly easy-going staff. The set menu changes daily and no matter what your food preferences and expectations are – you will be blown away with each bite. My brunch was the following – raspberry sangria, Raspberry Walnut Milkshake (see pic below), Lemon Polenta Muffin, Toad in a Hole with poached eggs, buttered crispy toasts, wild mushroom, spinach, and local smoked ham, and for dessert – pineapple crepe with ricotta. Our waitress Katie was the best ever, she was so nice [...]

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AUTHOR: Gilda

POSTED ON:

Mar 23

2010

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Featured, Restaurant Reviews

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Buttermilk Food Truck – Los Angeles, CA

Calling all fellow breakfast food lovers, those of you that consider french toast anytime of the day or night. Thanks to Gigi Pasqual and Buttermilk Boy Klippy, Buttermilk Truck brings us our favorite breakfast dishes all day and late night long. Some of my favorite items off their menu include Hawaiian Bread Cinnamon French Toast Sticks served with butter and syrup, Southwest Veggie Omelet with cornbread, Buttermilk Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches with applewood smoked bacon and rosemary hash browns, Fried Chicken with Housemade Cinnamon Waffles. See below for more menu items and deets. Find them participating in the Food Trucks for Haiti, Saturday Jan.23, 12-3pm, at TLofts – 11500 Tennessee Ave at Butler Ave, West LA with 20 other fellow foody trucks. Event runs from 11am-4pm. Portions of the proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross International Response Fund in relief efforts for the Haitian people. More from Buttermilk: The [...]

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AUTHOR: Gilda

POSTED ON:

Jan 22

2010

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Featured, Restaurant Reviews

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Market Restaurant at the Cooper Building – Downtown Los Angeles

There’s a new breakfast/lunch spot in Downtown L.A. where you can get the best molasses cookies around along with other fresh and hot items. Bret Thompson of MILK in Hollywood partnered up with Pablo Ramirez and opened up Market Restaurant at the Cooper Building in the Fashion District. The catering menu is impressive as well as a promising 30 minute delivery service. Other than their molasses cookies, some of my favorite dishes to try are the Feta-terranean Salad with romaine hearts, cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, black olives, pita chips, garbanzo beans and lemon vinaigrette, the Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding with fresh fruit and granola, and Turkey Burger with cheddar cheese, vine ripened tomato, green leaf lettuce, pickles and secret sauce. See below for more menu items. Here is more info from Market Restaurant: Chef/Partner Bret Thompson (co-founder of MILK in Hollywood) and Partner Pablo Ramirez opened Market Restaurant at the [...]

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AUTHOR: Gilda

POSTED ON:

Jan 20

2010

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Featured, Restaurant Reviews

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Real Food Daily’s Organic Vegan Cuisine Menu for January

Good for you food and yummy comfort food can both be delicious and drool-worthy. Vegan and vegetarian food has come a long way but most people still think of them as tasteless boring vegetable dishes. That is so untrue and the complete opposite, especially with the abundance of choices in Los Angeles. So for 2010, I’m promising myself to remember to try out more new healthy delicious dishes. One of my favorite and very popular restaurant for this occasion is Real Food Daily. This place has done all the work for you in preparing yummy high maintenance food for vegans, vegetarians, macrobiotic dieters, organic eaters, kosher certified, low-calorie low-fat and low-sugar, and all foodies. My favorite is the Cold Soba Salad with soba noodles, julienne vegetables, cucumbers, cilantro, sesame seeds, peanuts, peanut dressing, and marinated tempeh. Check out their new menu of specials for January below. I’m ready to try [...]

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AUTHOR: Gilda

POSTED ON:

Jan 8

2010

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Featured, Restaurant Reviews

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Restaurant Review: The Hungry Cat – Hollywood, CA

Here’s another perfect spot for dinner after movies at Arclight Hollywood. The Hungry Cat is just across the street behind Borders, tucked away from the noisy street. The place is sleek and modern but low-key with a nice outdoor seating area perfect for a first date or catching up with good friends. Their kitchen serves up seriously fresh seafood and a menu reflecting the culinary genius of a David Lentz and Suzanne Goin partnership. I had no doubt the food would be good but was still blown away by the incredibly flavors of even the most simplest items on the menu – Heirloom tomatoes, burrata and arugula salad with grilled bread (top pic) and steamed king crab leg with grilled toast (pic below). Here are some of items from their recent dinner menu: oysters on the half shell $2.25/ each little neck clams on the half shell $2.00/ each peel [...]

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AUTHOR: Gilda

POSTED ON:

Oct 18

2009

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Featured, Restaurant Reviews

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Restaurant Review: Alcove Cafe & Bakery – Los Feliz, CA

My 3pm brunch doesn’t have to be at home with Alcove Cafe & Bakery around. This place is the perfect spot for lingering over heart-warming meals in a garden setting that feels just like home. Their menu serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and a dizzying list of pastries throughout the entire day and night. I love this place! Finally, I can have a seriously good brioche french toast with side of apple wood smoked bacon as late as I want. I had to order the fruit plate to add something healthy to my table. They also have an impressive coffee/smoothie bar and variety of other drinks to order. There is plenty of patio seats around the front and sides of this house converted cafe – with umbrellas for shade in this sunny spot on the block. Apple Wood Smoked Bacon – cooked to order! Goes perfect with the brioche french toast [...]

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AUTHOR: Gilda

POSTED ON:

Sep 29

2009

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Featured, Restaurant Reviews

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Restaurant Review: Breadbar – Los Angeles, CA

I think I had discovered the best baguette in L.A. when I was having a sandwich at the Artisan Cheese Gallery. They get all their bread from Breadbar and so that’s where I headed off to. Not only do they have fabulous fresh baguettes with impossible texture, but they have a string of pastries and full lunch/dinner menu. I had such a hard time not ordering everything off their menu. They have so many of my favorite things, it was seriously hard not to just have a table full of cheese, bread and pastries. So between my friend and I, we divided up the order – Greek Salad, Chilled Red Beet Gazpacho, Mini Butter and Chocolate Croissants, Sweet Potato Fries, and Apple Turnover. This was probably the strangest greek salad I’ve had – not bad, but very different then any other. The dressing was tangy just the way I like [...]

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AUTHOR: Gilda

POSTED ON:

Sep 9

2009

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Featured, Restaurant Reviews

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Restaurant Review: Paia Fish Market – Paia, Maui

I think the fastest I ever inhaled an entire grilled fillet of Ono was at Paia Fish Market in Maui. I sat down with my Grilled Ono Platter (top pic), took one bite, and then it all disappeared before I took my second breath – at least it seemed that way. It literally melted in my mouth, it was so unbelievably delicious. This was the best charbroiled fish I’ve ever had. The fish itself was so incredibly fresh, it didn’t need anything but a little bit of salt & pepper. You can find the freshest fish possible here. Their menu covers any which way you’d like your fish cooked or seasoned. If fish isn’t your thing, there are other options for meaters and veggies too – pastas, quesadillas, fajitas. The place is super casual with rows of communal benches in a wide open room. It’s the perfect spot after a [...]

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AUTHOR: Gilda

POSTED ON:

Sep 2

2009

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Featured, Restaurant Reviews

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Restaurant Review: Aroma Bakery & Cafe – Hollywood, Los Angeles

When I find a place that has a full menu and open kitchen all the way into the wee hours of the night (early morning), I’m at full attention. This is a rare occasion in Los Angeles. Aroma Bakery & Cafe is not what you think. It’s a casual middle-eastern influenced eatery that has a binder for a menu. This is not an L.A. cafe bakery but a middle-eastern influenced cafe bakery in L.A. – very different, so you need to do away with any predispositions to enjoy the experience. The difference is not just with the food, but the crowd and atmosphere. It is very bright – you’ll hardly notice it’s nighttime outside on the patio, and it’s busy with people of all ages – even at 2am. The menu is very promising for a group with varying eating preferences – vegetarians, meat eaters, sweet tooths, and all in [...]

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AUTHOR: Gilda

POSTED ON:

Sep 1

2009

COMMENTS: 2

CATEGORY: Featured, Restaurant Reviews

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Restaurant Review: August – Manhattan, NY

This is my favorite place for brunch in Manhattan. August is a charming little hidden spot tucked in Greenwich Village with a surprising sunlit private garden patio in the back. Their menu turns out seasonal European fare from their wood-fired oven. I never miss brunch here when I’m in town. It’s the perfect place to share brunch with a few close friends. I can’t help but to always order their challah french toast with huckleberry coulis (pic below). It’s the perfect french toast filled with buttery cinnamon sweetness. Every bite is so moist that there’s no need for any maple syrup – maybe just a little dab of huckleberry coulis here and there. They also have the cutest perfectly cooked egg dishes served in the mini cocotte straight out of the wood-fired oven (Roman in top pic). This is not the place for low/non-fat milk or splenda. You’re only going [...]

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AUTHOR: Gilda

POSTED ON:

Aug 31

2009

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Featured, Restaurant Reviews

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